The last few years have been particularly difficult for the mental health of children and young adults, with the COVID pandemic exacerbating what were already high levels of depression and anxiety in these groups. Mental health resources have been stretched thin, and primary care providers are finding themselves caring for more and more patients with increasingly complex mental health issues.
Educators in DFPM’s Family Medicine Residency program have partnered with colleagues at The Children’s Center Utah and numerous others across our institution, non-profits serving underserved populations across our state, and national experts in mental health and primary care education, to improve the mental health of youth and young adults in Utah. This group has been awarded a five-year, 2.4 million dollar primary care educational training grant through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The project will support collaborations across a broad community of nonprofit agencies and academic experts, expand and improve the training of Family Medicine and Pediatrics residents at the University of Utah, and train faculty and residents on skills to provide trauma-informed care.
“This project connects a diverse group of dedicated organizations and skilled experts to focus on a solvable problem that is having a huge impact on our young families right now," says Susan Cochella, MD, MPH, the project’s Principal Investigator. "I can’t imagine a better investment.”
The leadership team includes proposal co-authors Katherine Fortenberry, PhD; Dominik Ose, DrPH; and Robert Owens, PhD. DFPM faculty members Erika Sullivan, MD; Eli Moreno, MD; and Karly Pippitt, MD, FAAFP will also play important roles.
